Shadow of Oneself
by Janime Lee
Summary: Link discovers that sometimes the hardest struggle is within yourself. Ficlet request.


**Shadow of Oneself**

**By Janime Lee**

Dark. Cold. Damp.

The chill that ran through Link's body was from more than his surroundings.

Someone or something else was in the chamber.

He turned slowly in a full circle; his eyes were greeted by only brick walls and ankle-deep water.

No windows. No doors. Nothing that resemble a means of entrance, or escape.

His shield and sword were not with him. Nor any of his tools.

He was alone.

Defenseless.

"Afraid, Hero?"

Link froze. That voice was his.

No, it wasn't. It sounded like him but it was darker, full of malice. That voice belonged to one who sought pleasure in suffering, and reveled in knowing that he was the cause of it.

Link watched tensely as the shadows before him moved away to let someone enter his vision.

His outfit was black and gray, his eyes red like blood and held no compassion for others, his face mirrored Link's but more sinister.

A twisted version of himself.

"Did you actually believe that you would have been rid of me so easily?" Dark Link asked. "We are two halves to a whole. A balance like the sun and the moon, earth and sky," he stepped forward, "light and darkness."

Link said nothing; his body tense in the precaution that his darker self should attack.

"Hero of Time," said Dark Link as he began to walk around Link in a circle. "What a laugh. And who gave you such a title, hmm? The Sages? The people of Hyrule?"

The move was too quick for Link to anticipate. He was thrown back, landing face first in the water. He rose to his hands and knees, sputtering water from his mouth and nose.

"What makes you think you are worthy of such a gift?"

Something slashed across his back. He cried out in surprised pain and looked at his evil other, a barbed whip in his right hand.

"Now I bet you are wondering how did I get this?" Dark Link smirked as he cracked the whip in the air and brought it down on Link's back again.

Link held back the screams the whip's attack wanted him to release. Enduring the painful blows, Link mentally counted the time in between each, and when the next when came he raised his arm and caught the whip in his Left hand and twisted it around his arm.

Using it as leverage, Link quickly brought himself to his feet and pulled the whip hard. Dark Link stumbled towards him, and Link connected his right fist into his darker self's jaw. He drew the the handle of the whip up to use the weapon himself, but the moment his hand closed around the thicker end, the whip vanished.

Dark Link chuckled as he rubbed his jaw. "You didn't think it was going to be that easy now, did you?"

Releasing a frustrated growl, Link charged.

Punches, elbows, knees, kicks, every possible hit was exchanged between the two. The advantage and disadvantage of fighting against your other self was that you knew how to fight but it was also unpredictable what move you were going to make.

Dark Link spun and kicked the back of Link's knees forcing the Hero of Time to fall on his back. Hand's closed around his throat cutting off his air. Link managed to raise one foot against Dark Link's chest and shoved him away. Gasping for sweet breath, Link scrambled to his feet but not fast enough. Dark Link wrapped his arm around Link's neck and held tight.

"Who's going to save you?" Dark Link asked, grinning sadistically as Link tried desperately to pull his arm away. "Who will save Hyrule if you die now? Who will protect Hyrule's precious little princess, hmm? Who will come to the rescue of that charming little farm girl who gave you her favorite horse? You saw her tears of despair. Imagine how much more beautiful her tears would be if she knew real fear."

The visions that Dark Link sent to Link's mind sickened him to his soul, causing something to snap within the Hero. He sent his elbow into Dark Link's abdomen. The grip around his throat lessened and he spun, punching the darker one's face, over and over. He didn't let up not even when he had Dark Link backed against the wall.

Link pulled back his left fist, and then suddenly the Master Sword appeared in his hand. Without any hesitation, Link plunged the sacred blade through Dark Link's chest, pinning him to the wall.

Dark Link stared at the sword protruding from his chest. He raised his head until his eyes met Link's.

"You think this is the end of me?" Dark Link grabbed Link's tunic and pulled him closer. "Far from it. Tread carefully, Hero of Time, for I am not the embodiment of all that you have fought. I am what you will become."

The darkness swallowed them both.

--------

Link bolted upright. Panic made him confused over his surroundings until he recognised the room he had stayed in at Lon Lon Ranch after he freed Ingo from Ganon's possession. Looking at himself, he saw the plain simple white tunic and bandages on his arms and hands. His fuddled mind then began to recall fighting Volvagia, and then talking to Darunia at the Temple of the Sages. But he couldn't remember how he got to Lon Lon Ranch.

Link turned his eyes to the window and looked at the star-dotted sky, the full moon casting its ethereal glow on the ranch and in the room. Link took a deep breath and let it out slowly. He would wait until morning and talk to Malon, asking her how he ended up at the ranch. Link settled himself on the bed again and closed his eyes.

On the wall, Link's shadow sat up and looked at him, and then went back to mimic the position of its owner.

* * *

**February 1, 2009**

For Raiyne of Gailin for doing a fantastic commission of Axel & Quistis on DeviantART. 3

I absolutely love the picture so much, I offered to do a ficlet for her. She requested a Dark Link torturing Link, and I decided to do a physical and psychological torture mix, along with a little foreboding at the end.

Please forgive any typos as I still do not have MS Word.

Thanks to Rogues Ronin for the title.

~Janime Lee


End file.
